John Hechinger, one of the narion’s top investigative reporters, here presents a balanced but nonetheless devastating overview of K12 Inc., the for-profit virtual charter chain listed on the Néw York Stock Exchange.
K12 is the biggest purveyor of online homeschooling, paid for with public funds drawn away from traditional public schools.
This approach may be effective for some students –students training to be athletes or performers, students with illnesses–but K12 reaches out to recruit as many as it can.
“Plagued by subpar test scores, the largest operator of online public schools in the U.S. has lost management contracts or been threatened with school shutdowns in five states this year. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled in April that students can no longer count credits from 24 K12 high schools toward athletic scholarships.
While the company says its investments in academic quality are starting to pay off, once-soaring enrollment at the more than 60 public schools it manages has dropped almost 5 percent. Targeted by short sellers, who benefit from a company’s decline, K12 shares have tumbled by two-thirds since reaching a near-record high in Septeber 2013…..”
“Of the full-time online schools assigned ratings by their states, only one-third were considered academically acceptable in 2012-2013, the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado reported this year. The percentage of K12 students achieving proficiency on state math and reading tests is generally below state averages, according to the company’s 2014 academic report.
“Ohio Virtual Academy, which accounts for 10 percent of K12’s annual revenue, received failing grades on a state report card last year for student test-score progress and graduation rates. Only 37 percent of its ninth graders receive diplomas within four years.”
Several online charters have cancelled their contracts with K12. Tennessee may soon cancel its Tennessee Virtual Academy.
“In Tennessee, education commissioner Kevin Huffman is moving to close a K12-managed school unless it can improve results by the end of this school year. Tennessee Virtual Academy has test results “in the bottom of the bottom tier” and is an “abject failure” in improving student outcomes, Huffman said in a telephone interview.”
I thought Huffman was long gone?
Huffman will be out at the end of Dec. 2014.
When TN’s K12 Virtual School began, I was excited. As an experienced special education teacher who had served both as an assistive technology consultant and as homebound teacher for students with serious illness, I thought the virtual school would provide a much-needed service for students who aren’t able to attend school. They advertised to families and students that qualified special education teachers would provide daily guidance and support. I called the company to find out more about employment details – how many students I would serve and how, as well as whether pay and retirement would be competitive. I made several calls to all levels (both through public school and K12 contact numbers) and was told I would have to apply through their fairly lengthy application process before they could answer any questions, but that I would be a private employee of K12, and it seemed I would lose my public school benefits and be unable to maintain my NEA representation (although no one answered those questions directly.) I was bothered that while the company recruited students aggressively, they were not interested in any outreach to teachers and were opaque and borderline-disrespectful to me in my inquiries. I was therefore, not surprised to learn of their failures. The success of a school depends on its teachers. When will charters learn this?
These for-profits offering on-line “personalized” learning are not eager to invest in assistive technologies and even less interested in working with highly qualified teachers.
The for-profits want to keep the public money for education, and they want to standardize that sum that nationally for tiers of students according to some formula for “cheap or expensive to educate.” The companies want total deregulation and de-institutionalization of education so they can by-pass fussing around with states and districts (version of the Common Core mantra).
If they can succeed in that, the same package will dismantle all forms of credentials and accreditation other than “customer satisfactions.” The hope is for kids to receive something like an EduCard that will function much like a credit card for services entirely contracted by parent/guardians. The best marketers (not necessarily the best programs) will rake in the profits. There will be a few niche markets for special services. No accountability except to the stockholders of the business.
In a press release dated February, 3, 2014 KnowledgeWorks and The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) announced their shared agenda for federal policies that would change “our entire K-12 education system” to fit a student-centered learning environment with demonstrations of competency, free of traditional notions of schools, teachers, and student learning.
More at http://knowledgeworks.org/building-capacity-systems-change-federal-policy-framework-competency-education#sthash.Nr0OpfWq.dpuf
Notice to all supporters of a “better education for all”—
No idea, plan, aspiration or program of the self-styled “education reform” establishment is wrong until it stops producing $tudent $ucce$$. And then it gets another 20 or 30 bites at the public schools money apple—or at least until the apples run out.
Read today’s LATIMES about the humungous wonders—and very minor glitches—of “flipped classes.” And the best is yet to come! It’s enough to warm the cockles of the hearts of edupreneurs everywhere.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-harvey-mudd-flipped-20141117-story.html
Remembering, today, tomorrow, and forever, that when it comes to the self-proclaimed leaders and enablers of the “new civil rights movement of our time” it’s “all about the kids.”
Rheeally!
But not really…
😎
So a correspondence school is still a correspondence school, as TIME goes by …
Ron Packard’s quote, “It may not work for everyone”.
It’s the same defense that the insurance industry trotted out, AFTER, families were devastated by the deceitful marketing/selling of whole-life insurance policies.
Wow, so their school is performing as well as our own brick and motors. It is important to remember that K-12 did not target students who wanted to be athletes, artists or performers but the children of parents who are unhappy with the results of traditional public schools. We also should be worry of calling the kettle black. We all complain about the high-stakes testing, but should be happy these schools are held to a higher standard than ours or the tables might be turned.
In Connecticut, at least half of the schools labeled as excelling are only excelling in two subjects, barely passing a third while failing the rest and in most cases they are failing math or science. Less I stand corrected Math and science seem to be important to the economical success of the country in a technology driven market.
So while we are all bashing these failing schools that are taught by teachers that graduated as our peers, and in some cases are our best teachers frustrated with the system, consider this: America is in the 60th percentile for educational effectiveness. That means that our A+ students are no better than D students in a global market….and I hope none of us are proud of those results!
“60th percentile” isn’t the same as 60 percent.
Q,
The international test scores have zero predictive value about our economy. Japan has had much high test scores for decades and that nation is in a prolonged recession.
Where did you get the data for your assertions? I can stand on the front porch and claim the world is flat. I highly doubt our A+ students are worse than all D students globally. I worked years in international business and know the truth is different and more complex. Contrary to bashers, American education is still admired.
Part of the problem stems from anti-teacher attitudes and myths perpetuated by “think tanks” and wingnuts.
This weekend, I bought a used car from a man from Malaysia. He went on about how Americans think all Asian people excel at math and how that annoyed him. He loved American schools. Most interesting, at first, our conversations were jovial and informal. He asked what I do and I told him I was a teacher. Usually, in Ohio, the response is then some complaint or rightwing talking point about unions, failing schools, or “get a real job”. But this gentleman’s demeanor changed to very formal and he started calling me “sir”. I have no idea what Malaysian schools are like, but the respect was mutual.
You have no understanding of the role of a truncated definition of ‘educational effectiveness” in international comparisons, and the total disconnect between test scores and markets, including so-called global markets. Diane has it right. This economy tanked. Kids and teachers did not do that.
You’re exactly falling into the false logic of some Japanese parents who are desperate to send their kids to better private schools just for good English teaching lessons(!). I don’t think you have any idea what you mean by “A+ students are no better than D students in a global market.” Funny, in my country, many of those young Japanese who have +B or better in high school and/or college don’t consider that they compare fairly with students from other industrialized nations. Ranked Top 5 in Math/Science on 2013 OECD PISA scores. So what? The nation has been squeezed like a crushed strawberry in a blender for over a couple of decades.
So much for the idea of educational effectiveness!
Your analysis is flawed on nearly every level. The “global market” is a fraud intended to drive down wages and nothing more. We are one of the few countries in the world that actually attempts to education everyone, not just the select few based on tests. We are at the 60th percentile based on what? Meaningless rigged international tests in which our “competition” selected their best students to test? Test based comparisons are meaningless. See Wilson’s work in this matter. Furthermore, why can’t we work on a living wage, housing, and healthcare for all. Some things should be rights. If these things are secured then education can focus on the talents and interests of the students. I know, this is not rugged Ayn Randian Social Darwinism, but evil socialism. Labor should get more of what it helped produce. Our somewhat socialistic “competition” seems to have a higher quality of life than we do in our rat race society. You sound like an education entrepreneur Q.
As someone who has worked in Europe, ie first hand knowledge, you argument is flawed as it is based on speculation not fact. I can’t even agree that we “attempt” to educate everyone. Attempt would imply that we make an effort, but just look at our total disregard for TAG students. We take the brightest minds and give them busy work and call it differentiated teaching.
I do agree that tests are useless, unless:
1) You have a baseline from which to start. That would entail testing the depth of knowledge before a lesson starts.
2) A follow up test to see what was understand
3) Further evaluation to see what was retained
4) Most importantly, test times are adjusted based on the students words per minute reading ability. Without this every test unfairly tests the student giving the advantage to the student who reads the quickest rather than the one who may know the most.
You are also correct about the tests being partially meaningless. I was well aware that my relatives in Europe were far more knowledgeable at graduating high school than I and my fellow classmates were upon completion of 2 years of college… and I was the one with a 144 IQ.
I am not an Education Entrepreneur, but the decedent of the founders of no less than 4 high performing schools dating back to the 1800’s. The difference is I am more about the student than myself. This tempered with international experience, including DOD internationally (much more advanced than stateside for some reason), an appreciation for change and a passion to continue to improve the process bringing solutions to the table….not complaints. 🙂
Diane, I agree that the international scores have zero impact on the economy; once. However, as creativity and intelligence diminish even the best country can not compete globally. We don’t have to look outside of the education system to see that impact. That is, look at the colleges and you quickly get an idea of jobs lost to better educated students from other countries, and it doesn’t stop there.
Gloria, it does when you look at the test scores 😦
cx attempts to educate everyone
“K12 says its results reflect the students it now attracts.”
What would happen to a school or teacher who gave this explanation for low scores?
At the very least, a stern lecture about low expectations…
I am shocked, shocked and amazed, at this blatant example of the “soft bigotry of low expectations” and even more disturbed by this display of the “hard bigotry of mandated failure.”
😡
Actually, no I’m not. The self-proclaimed “education reform” movement with its mantra of “no excuses” is literally one excuse and cover-up and defection after another.
But don’t expect to be able to discuss with them in public about their repeated failures and contradictions.
As another posting today points out, if you’re a member of the rabble, disagree and you’re disinvited to the conversation.
Why? Because it makes it so much more difficult to launch new eduproducts or rebrand old ones when they lose control of what’s being said.
MisEducation Nation, anyone?
😎
To old teacher:
I wish that readers in this website will pay attention to what you write, as follows:
“Furthermore, why can’t we work on a living wage, housing, and healthcare for all. Some things should be rights. If these things are secured then education can focus on the talents and interests of the students.”
Without the foundation in a decent living wage, housing, and healthcare for all, parents and teachers cannot cultivate the democracy and humanity in students’ way of thinking and living as creative human beings who are kind, loving, and caring for all other sentient beings.
to Q:
You should work in DOE or as a State Commissioner of Education. However, at your IQ level, you must know the DISTINCTIVE difference between TRUE educators’ goal and standardized business mind regarding today’s common core TESTING.
(…and I was the one with a 144 IQ. I am not an Education Entrepreneur, but the decedent of the founders of no less than 4 high performing schools dating back to the 1800′s.)
I do agree that tests are useless, unless:
1) You have a baseline from which to start. That would entail testing the depth of knowledge before a lesson starts.
2) A follow up test to see what was understand
3) Further evaluation to see what was retained
4) Most importantly, test times are adjusted based on the students words per minute reading ability.
I agree with what you write the above. Would you agree with what I state below?
We can be honest to ourselves that for thousands of years, THE TRUE DIFFERENCE between educators and business people is that:
EDUCATORS are always and will be CONSCIENTIOUS, INTEGRITY and CARING for the welfare of others, while
Business people are 100% profit driven minded type. For this SOLE reason, business people are SELFISH, CRUEL, and DECEITFUL.Back2basic
“K12 has a ‘reputational issue’ because of its test results, Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Davis said in a phone interview. The company, based in Herndon, Virginia, is starting to improve scores by hiring staff and spending $75 million to $85 million a year on curriculum and technology, executives said.”
I shan’t hold my breath. I have managed a department for K12.com as lead teacher, expected to work weekends when grading gets behind — and it is always getting behind, because of the insane amount of students even the most part-time of part-time teachers are assigned, even lead teachers, who are forced to carry heavy student loads in addition to their cat-herding lead work with a constantly-turning-over roster of teachers even less gruntled than they themselves — and was paid less than a F/T employee at Walmart. With multiple state certifications. And BA+30. Truth fact.
http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/apple-walmart-mcdonald-s-they-all-stiff-their-workers-as-they-get-subsidized-by-taxpayers/18113-apple-walmart-mcdonald-s-they-all-stiff-their-workers-as-they-get-subsidized-by-taxpayers
Thanks for sharing this. I have wondered about the teachers and their satisfaction with K12. I assumed it was bad, but this….ow.